1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manufacturing device, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display (LCD) suitable for a large-sized liquid crystal display.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In general, recent developments in the information communication field have increased demand for various types of display devices. In response to this demand, various flat panel type displays such as liquid crystal display (LCD), plasma display panel (PDP), electro-luminescent display (ELD), and vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) have been developed to replace conventional cathode ray tube (CRT) devices. In particular, LCD devices have been used because of their high resolution, light weight, thin profile, and low power consumption. In addition, LCD devices have been implemented in mobile devices such as monitors for notebook computers. Furthermore, LCD devices have been developed for monitors of computer and television to receive and display broadcasting signals.
Accordingly, efforts to improve image quality of LCD devices contrast with the benefits of their high resolution, light weight, thin profile, and low power consumption. In order to incorporate LCD devices as a general image display, image quality such as fineness, brightness, large-sized area, for example, must be realized.
LCD devices are provided with an LCD panel for displaying an image, and a driving unit for applying a driving signal to the LCD panel. The LCD panel is provided with first and second glass substrates bonded at a certain distance with liquid crystal material injected therebetween. A plurality of gate lines are formed along one direction at fixed intervals on the first glass substrate (TFT array substrate), and a plurality of data lines are formed along a second direction perpendicular to one direction of the plurality of gate lines, thereby defining a plurality of pixel regions. Then, a plurality of pixel electrodes are formed in a matrix arrangement at the pixel regions, and a plurality of thin film transistors (TFT) are formed at the pixel regions. Accordingly, the plurality of thin film transistors are switched by signals transmitted along the gate lines and transfer signals transmitted along the data lines to each pixel electrode. In order to prevent light leakage, black matrix films are formed on the second glass substrate (color filter substrate) except at regions of the second glass substrate that correspond to the pixel regions of the first glass substrate.
A process for manufacturing an LCD panel device using a TFT substrate and a color filter substrate will be described with reference to a manufacturing apparatus according to the related art.
FIG. 1 shows an apparatus for manufacturing an LCD panel device according to the related art. In FIG. 1, a first glass substrate TFT passes through a sealant dispensing unit 11 for dispensing sealant on the first glass substrate TFT, and a sealant drying unit 12 for drying the dispensed sealant. Simultaneously, a second glass substrate C/F passes through an Ag dotting unit 13 for dotting Ag on the second glass substrate C/F, and a spacer dispersion unit 14 for dispersing spacers on the second glass substrate C/F.
Then, the first and second glass substrates TFT and C/F are bonded together by a bonding unit 16, and the bonded substrates are hardened by a hardening unit 17. The bonded substrates are separated by a certain distance by the spacer, thereby forming a cavity spaced, and an injecting hole is formed at a certain region of a circumference of the bonded substrates. Subsequently, a liquid crystal material is injected by injecting unit 18 through the injecting hole into the cavity space formed between the bonded substrates, and the injecting hole is sealed. Then, the bonded substrates are cleaned by a cleaning unit 20, thereby completing the process of manufacturing the LCD panel device.
However, the apparatus for manufacturing the LCD panel device according to the related art using the liquid crystal injecting system is problematic. First, the liquid crystal material is injected into the cavity space between the bonded substrates bonded by the sealant through the injecting hole under vacuum due to a difference in pressure. Accordingly, injecting the liquid crystal material into the cavity space is time consuming. During manufacturing processes for making large sized LCD panel devices, it is necessary to improve a manufacturing efficiency of the processes by decreasing the processing time for injecting the liquid crystal material. Accordingly, it is necessary to improve efficiency of the manufacturing processes.
In addition, failures are generated during the injection of the liquid crystal materials if the processing time for injecting the liquid crystal material is increased. For example, injection of the liquid crystal material may be imperfect, thereby generating failures at a high rate. Second, the processing for manufacturing the LCD panel device is complex, and there is no method for determining whether the bonded substrates are properly bonded together. That is, it is hard to sense a degree with which the substrates are bonded.